Dermatomyositis

Dermatomyositis is a rare disease with inflammation. Common dermatomyositis symptoms include a distinctive rash of the skin, muscle weakness and inflammatory myopathy or inflamed muscles.
It can affect both adults and children. There’s no cure for this condition, but symptoms can be managed.
The exact cause of dermatomyositis isn’t known. However, it has many similarities to an autoimmune disease.
In most cases, the first symptom is a distinctive skin rash on the face, eyelids, chest, nail cuticle areas, knuckles, knees or elbows. The rash is patchy and usually a bluish-purple color.

You may also have muscle weakness that gets worse over weeks or months. This muscle weakness usually starts in your neck, arms, or hips and can be felt on both sides of your body.

Other symptoms you might experience are:
For most people, there’s no cure for dermatomyositis. Treatment can improve the condition of your skin and muscle weakness. Available treatments include medication, physical therapy, and surgery.

Corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone, are the preferred method of treatment in most cases. You can take them by mouth or apply them to your skin. Corticosteroids lower the response of your immune system, which reduces the number of inflammation-causing antibodies.